Method of treating ores.



No. 674,639. Patented May 2|, l90l. M. SELIGSOHN.

METHOD OF TREATING 0858.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1900.) (No Model.) 7

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS SELIGSOHN, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTER- NATIONAL METAL EXTRAOTION COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF TREATING ORES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 674,639, dated May 21, 1901.

Original application filed April 25, 1900, Serial No. 14,294. Divided and this application filed October 6, 1900. Serial No. 32,274. (No specimens.)

To all whonc it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS SELIGSOHN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Treating Ores, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the method of treating ores.

The primary object is 10 increase the percentage of valuable metal extracted by atrialgamation. This increase in amalgamation is caused principally by these facts-to wit, that the gases which pass into the pulp act upon the rusty gold and so alter it that it becomes subject to amalgamation. The gas also acts upon the amalgam on the plate, so that it is kept clean and the amalgam maintained at the proper consistency, thus increasing to a variable extent the percentage of precious metals caught and amalgamated by the plates, which in most cases is considerable. It also saponifies anygrease or oil that maybe present in the pulp and clarifies or makes the pulp more amenable to amalgamation by its action upon the clay and matter in suspension and is efficacious in preventing the sickening or flouring of the mercury.

My present invention contemplates a similar procedure to that disclosed in application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 14,294, filed by me April 25, 1900, of which application this present one is a division, in that air is charged or impregnated with chemicals, which give it additional qualities and which results in increased efficiency. As in that application, I attain an improvement by my present invention in the physical condition of the elementsused in the process, which improvement in the physical condition is effected by the use of these chemicals. I am aware that there are a number of processes which use bromin in the extraction of certain elements from their oresfor example,the extraction of gold. These processes, however, are purely chemical onesthat is, all the gold contents in these ores are changed to a definite compound of gold with bromin, which gold is subsequently recovered by the destruction of these chemical compounds. These processes completely alter the chemical condition of the gold. My

.the pulp.

present process alters the physical conditions of the elements hereinafter set forth.

The present process contemplates the use of bromin gas, and in the preferred exemplification of my invention I propose to use ammoniated air in combination with said gas.

When a solution of ammonia is mixed with a halogen, it is well known that there is, particularly under the in tluence of light and heat, a chemical reaction yielding oxygen. When this reaction occurs in pulp, the oxygen comes in contact with the ore and amalgam in its nascent condition, when it is particularly efficacious in oxidizing impuritiese. g., sulfids, &c.having a tendency to retard or prevent amalgamation or to sicken the mercury.

While for the purpose of illustration and clearness merely I have shown and will hereinafter describe certain apparatus, yet my invention has nothing Whatever to do with the appliances, as it is possible to use it in connection with a great variety of ore-milling machinery, the invention having to do altogether with the method or process and not in any sense the mechanism with which it may be advantageous to use or apply it.

In the accompanyingdrawings I have shown in Figure 1 a longitudinal sectional view of a plate or trough, more or less inclined to facilitate the flow of pulp, with an amalgamatingplate and a pipe for introducing the impregnated or charged air at the lower surface of In Fig. 2 I have indicated an arrangement by which the air is discharged inside of a stamp-battery. In Fig. 3 is illustrated a discharge into the flowing pulp outside of the stamp-battery as it discharges the pulp from the mortar.. In Fig. 4 is illustrated an arrangement applied to the exterior of a Huntington mill, and in Fig. 5 is illustrated a simple apparatus for charging and impregnating the air to be used.

As stated, a variety of other appliances might be illustrated; but the foregoing suffice to illustrate a few practical applications of the method or process in the art of ore treatment.

I will now proceed to briefly describe the several mechanical constructions illustrated and first the one shown in Fig. I. This consists of an inclined plate 1, having sides 2 2,

with auxiliary pieces 3 standing in an upright position to prevent the pulp or Water from flowing over the sides. In these auxiliary pieces 3 the grooves 5 5 are out upon an incline opposite to that of plate 1, and in them an amalgamating-plate 4is placed. The unmeral 6 indicates the main for conducting the charged or impregnated air from the source of supply, and 7 7 are the branch pipes, which 7 reach down into proximity to the surfaces of plates 1 and 4, and through them the impregnated or gaseous air issues into the lower strata of the pulp, through which itdischarges through the mass and in contact with the amalgam on plate 4. During this discharge and passage any greaseoroil that may be presentin the pulp is saponified and the pulp is clarified and made more amenable to amalgamation by the action of the gas upon the clay and matter in suspension. Also during this passage of the gas through the pulp it alters the physical condition of the mineral particles, and, furthermore, by its contact with the amalgamating-plate it is efficacious in preventing the sickening and flouring of the'mercury thereon, thereby maintaining the amalgam in a clean condition and of the proper consistency, thus increasing to a variable extent the percentage of precious metals caught and amalgamated by the plate 4, which in most cases is considerable, and in this way not only are the values saved which would otherwise be lost, but also the amalgamatingplate is kept chemically clean and in the proper consistency, so that at all times it is able to perform its functions with the greatest possible efficiency.

The only difference between the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is that in the ormer the discharge pipe or main 6, with its branch jets 7 7, is located inside of the mortar, so that the discharge of gas or impregnated air takes place in the pulp as it is being crushed by the stamps, whereas in Fig. 3 the discharge pipe or jet is located just out: side of the stamp-battery, where it passes into the pulp as it leaves the latter. In the latter construction the discharge takes place in a small shallow transversely disposed trough or gutter 8 by preference, as better results are attained in that way.

Passing now to Fig. 4, the preferred construction is to employ a pipe or main 6, which extends around the exterior of the Huntington or a similar mill. This pipe is located as near the bottom of the trough as is practicable, and in lieu of the jets heretofore shown and described the pipe is filled with a plurality of perforations 9 9, through which the gas is discharged.

It will be understood, of course, that the mode of charging or impregnating the air and the means of supplying it under the required pressure is no part of the present invention and does not need detailed description, as it is merely necessary that it be fed into the lower end of a receptacle containing the different chemicals or chemical, through which it rises and from which it is conveyed to the pulp in a charged or impregnated condition. An approved apparatus for this purpose is illustrated in Fig.5, in which is shown a tank of suitable material or suitably lined to withstand the chemical action, a blower, and pipes and valves for feeding and controlling the air.

The action of the gaseous air is substantially the same in each of the constructions described, and therefore it is not necessary to repeat what has been said in connection with the description of the form shown in Fig. 1. Obviously the results would differ more or less with the different ores treated. In fact, it is the purpose of vmy invention to provide a process which will give the best results with the greatest number and widest range of ores to be treated and one which at the same time will act upon the amalgam on the plate so as to keep it clean and of proper consistency to do uniform and successful service. In short, it has the twofold eifect of operating upon the material treated and the elementthe quicksilver or mercury used in the process of treating these ores.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The. process of treating ores which consists in hringingammoniated air and bromin gas into the presence of wet ore-pulp.

2. The process of treating ores which consists in introducing into wet ore-pulp while passing over mercury, air charged or'impregnated with ammoniated air and bromin gas which will have the effect not only of altering the physical conditions of the particles being treated, but also are efi'icacious in keeping the amalgam clean and of the proper consistency and efficacious in preventing its sickening or flooring, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described process of treating ores which consists in the discharge into the wet pulp, of air charged or impregnated with ammoniated air and bromin gas which will not only alter the physical condition of the particles being treated, butalso is efficacious in saponifying any grease or oil that may be present in the pulp, clarifying and making the pulp more amenable to amalgamation by its action upon the clay and matter in suspension and keeping the amalgam upon the plate clean and of proper consistency to accomplish its functions, and passing the socharged pulp over an amalgamating-plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORRIS SELIGSOHN.

Witnesses:

O. B. TAMLY, C. S. HOOPER. 

